Delicate
by LegendKitten
Summary: Basically a retelling of the series with my AUish twist- Sam and Tucker don't know. And Danny plans to keep it that way.


**Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfiction (** ** _good_** **fanfiction I mean), so I apologize if its rocky in some places. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

Maddie and Jack Fenton were not quitters. They had grown up in a world that laughed at the mere mentioning of the word "ghost", at least outside of silly campfire stories or Halloween nights. But that didn't stop them in the slightest. Maybe the laughter and cruel words from fellow colleagues about their ectoplasmic studies should have stopped them, but that wouldn't work either. Nothing could break the duo, or previously trio, apart, or away from their studies.

When things got tough, and one wanted to give up, they would remind the other tenderly that what they were doing with their research was important. Life saving. That in the end, the protection of humankind would be worth it. And of course, they were right. What were the stupid words of some jocks compared to scientific leaps, immense progress, and the help and aid of humanity?

Now they stood on the precipice of completion. How long had they worked?

" Years. Years leading up to this moment. Are you ready Mads?" Maddie looked up at her husband. Excitement, suspense, and joy nearly overflowed every part of her body. She could see it in his expression as well; normally he would be louder, more enthusiastic. This felt like such a sacred moment though, to the both of them. Their life's work was coming to its ending point.

 _Not an end._ She thought. _A beginning._

"I'm ready." She gave her husband's a quick squeeze. He went and picked up the first and second cord, ready to connect them. She could hardly contain her anticipation.

Just then, their fourteen year old Danny came down the stairs, into the lab. "Hey Mom, I was just wondering if I could..." He trailed off.

"Woah..." The Ghost Portal looked... complete. He knew his parents had spent a long timr on it. They had started before he was born. But now, to look at it finished... "Is it all done?"

"Yeah, it is kiddo." His dad said with a big grin. "We were actually just about to plug it in. Wanna see?"

Danny didn't need to think twice. This was big, and he really wanted to see if it worked. His parents told him spooky stories growing up about the ghosts on the other side of that steel door. Scary, but cool. Of course, thinking about it made him a little nervous, but his parents had loads of ectoweaponry to back them up. He walked closer, but not too close, and glanced curiously at that door. What could be behind that cold steel...?

"Yeah, I think I'll stay." He smiled at his parents.

"Great!" His mom said with excitement. She flicked a switch and opened up the doors. "If it works out the way we calculated-"

"And recalculated..." Jack said, remembering the headache that was the math behind the ghost portal.

"It should glow with ectoplasmic energy. It won't be subtle, for certain, like a swirling green vortex." She explained for Danny.

He tried to imagine it. "Cool."

His dad gave Maddie one last excited glance and then connected the two cords.

Silence. Denny looked at the Ghost Portal, expected to see some sort of change, but...

He looked back at his parents. They looked... Devastated. More upset than he had ever seen them. Even Dad, the biggest source of optimism in the family, looked absolutely crushed, like...

Like everything they'd done had been for nothing.

Maddie talked after a minute or so. "I don't understand..." Her voice was just above a gentle whisper. "I thought we'd done everything just right. We did the math. We checked everything, over and over. I...I dont know what went wrong..."

Jack put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I don't understand either. Not one bit. I know it doesn't add up, but..." He hesitated. "We'll think of something. Always have. Always will. Maybe we should just... Take a break for a bit."

Maddie nodded silently and went up the stairs with Jack, leaving Danny by himself in the now-quieter room. He was chilled and saddened by what he'd seen. He didn't know what he'd do if the thing he'd been working for his whole life just crashed and burned like that.

He peeked carefully inside the Ghost Portal. It was pretty dark in there, he could only see a few feet in. It reminded him of the black holes he had read about, sucking light and warmth in and destroying them. He almost felt himself going in.

Then a thought clicked. Maybe there was something unplugged in the portal. It wasn't like it was a massive tunnel, just a few feet. He could slip on his hazmat suit, go in there and fix whatever was off. He'd learned a little bit of electronics from Tucker during their friendship the past few years. Plus, he'd be able to make his parents feel better, continue with their studies. Everything would be okay.

What was the worst that could happen? A small part of him wanted to respond with 'ghosts', but he shoved his thoughts aside. He would be brave. He wasn't a five year old listening to ghost stories anymore.

He slipped on his black and white hazmat suit, made specially for him, and choked down that little voice telling him to _turn back now._

He walked in. It wasn't so bad, just a little dark. He put his hand on the wall to balance himself, not that there was anything to trip on. As he walked, he checked the floor, looking for loose cords or wires. His hand brushed up against something on the wall that wen _click._ Was that... A button?

Just then, he heard the steel doors shut securely behind him. His light source was completely gone. He nearly screamed.

 _Activating Ghost Portal. Please remain at least ten feet from steel doors to avoid electrocution._

Danny heard the voice aboveand knew he was supposed to be ten feet _outside_ the steel doors. He understood now. That was the ON button, and it was supposed to be switched on before plugging the cords in out there. So that people wouldn't be stuck in giant metal electrifying traps like he was now.

He was going to die.

He rushed over to the door and started pounding on it. "Help!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He took a deep breath in to scream again, but felt thousands of jolts of electricity surge through him as the portal powered on. Every part of him felt like he was exploding, or being drowned in acid, or both. He lost consciousness and collapsed.

 _Ghost Portal enabled. Welcome, Mr and Mrs. Fenton._


End file.
